FLORHAM PARK — It was not unreasonable to wonder Thursday night if the arrival of one Williams with the Jets would lead to the departure of another.

The Jets selected Quinnen Williams with the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft to be the future of their defensive line. Meanwhile, Leonard Williams, the Jets' 2015 first-round pick, is entering the final year of his rookie contract.

But Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan made it clear that he's not interested in trading the elder Williams (who is set to make $14.2 million in 2019). In fact, one of the major reasons the Jets drafted Quinnen Williams is because they believe he'll fit nicely alongside the man who has the same last name.

“No, we like Leonard quite a bit," Maccagnan said. "We actually like the idea of putting all these guys on the field at the same time. We have the ability to, in our minds, have a very, very strong defensive front. I’m really excited to see how [defensive coordinator] Gregg Williams can use all those players.”

The number three pick selected by the New York Jets Quinnen Williams speaks during a press conference after his selection at the NFL draft in downtown Nashville on Thursday, April 25, 2019. (Photo: Joe Rondone/The Commercial Appeal)

The prevailing wisdom before Thursday's draft was that the Jets needed an edge rusher to finally start putting pressure on the quarterback — they've ranked no higher than 23rd in sack percentage in the last three seasons.

But with Williams and Williams leading the way up front, Maccagnan believes the Jets may be able to get pressure on the quarterback even more effectively than they would with an edge attack.

"When you have the ability to push the pocket from the middle," Maccagnan said. "If you can do that — and I think there's some teams like Baltimore and the Giants from years past, when they had very good defensive lines, that was one of the things they really did well with, was the ability to push the pocket from the interior part. And that's a very difficult thing [for an offense].

"It's one thing to address edge rushers when you [as an offense] have the ability to align tight ends and running backs. When you have the interior guys, and you have two really good interior rushers, that would actually, I think, give teams a lot of problems."

In theory, this is true. But if the Jets don't upgrade their secondary — they have major deficiencies at the cornerback position — the pass rush will never be as effective as it should be. Offenses will simply exploit the Jets' coverage weaknesses with short, quick passes.

New York Jets linebacker Leonard Williams enters the field for practice on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, in Florham Park.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com)

Still, the dynamic between Leonard Williams and Quinnen Williams, with Gregg Williams directing it all, is going to be interesting to watch.

"I don’t know what the expectation is of what we can do together," Quinnen Williams said. "But I know that I’m coming in, I’m going to be a dominant up front and be a dominant player in general. And I know for sure Leonard Williams is a dominant player, all around the board. And together we can do anything if we work our butts off."

It's unclear exactly how the Jets will use the duo. Both play similar styles and are probably at their best playing in the 3-technique. Both Williamses will get significant snaps, and Gregg Williams will have to be creative in how he gets them both on the field.

One thing that could help: the Jets believe Quinnen Williams is versatile enough to play all over the defensive line. And he's willing to fit whatever role they ask him to.

"I played a three-technique and nose guard mostly at Alabama, but it doesn’t matter where I go," Williams said. "I'm going to do it all."